WOW what a year, but we have made it!

With the festive season nearly upon us I would like to take this time to reflect on some of our major achievements/successes this year.

The year started with the ban on mobile phones in schools, which has made a big difference to our classrooms. Teaching and Learning has been so positively impacted, it has been one of the best decisions in Education that has been made in recent times.

My first panic of the year occurred when the team informed me of the annual Belsurf event that saw 1000 kids down at the beach, my nerves were gone the whole time, but what a fantastic day!

This was closely followed by a global pandemic that tested our ability to adapt and evolve to a new online world. The staff were absolutely amazing during this time, going above and beyond to meet the needs of our students. The support from the community was also amazing, their patience and understanding made life so much easier at such a difficult time.

Many would have thought that this COVID year would be a write-off and that plans would be halted, but not at Belridge. We have made some massive steps forward this year.  Our new business plan was completed and implemented across the College. The revamp of our AE program with focus areas in STEM and Humanities was put into place and is ready to go with our first Year 7 cohort for next year. Subject selection for Year 9 was implemented, the build for our new PAC is ahead of schedule and will soon be ready for handover, the development of our new fitness centre and update of our ICT facilities have all been positive changes for the college, with many more planned for 2021.

With all the difficulties, we have still managed to complete our Year 11 and 12 exams, had students carry out their workplace learning, achieved great success in OLNA, attend the Year 11 river cruise, the Year 12 ball and our Cricket and Netball camps. The completion of our bush tucker garden and work with the Dandjoo Group have also been a highlight.  We have run a full transition program for our incoming Year 7s and have many reward activities planned for the end of year for our students with good standing.

Our staff have engaged in a wealth of professional learning activities. Our 5 hours per term have been spent developing our capacity on a range of topics such as Teaching and Learning, Inclusive Education and use of EA, Mental Health, Literacy, Numeracy and ICT. We have also engaged as part of the Joondalup Learning Community Network to forward the Future Leaders Framework with our staff, as well as our Senior Management Team being involved in a suite of professional learning to develop leadership capacity across the College.

Our work with our educational partners and local businesses have also been fantastic, ECU, ABCN and Microsoft have provided a number of amazing opportunities for our students across the areas of ICT, Science and student leadership. The support from the Rotary Club, Northbridge has been outstanding, especially the donations for our Lego Club and the sponsorship of a number of students to attend Science Camp at ECU in the holidays and students’ awards at graduation.

We have a number of staff leaving us at the end of the year, many for promotion or retirement. I would like to wish them all the very best in whatever the future holds and thank them for their contributions to Belridge SC over the years. One particular mention I would like to single out is the retirement of Mary Marriott after 27 years of service to the Department of Education. Mary has been such an asset to the Maths department here at the College and we will all be very sorry to see her go, however she is definitely deserving of her retirement and I wish her all the best.

I would like to finish with the biggest thank you to each and every person who donated items, food or money to our Belridge Christmas Hamper Appeal. Your generosity has surpassed anything I could have hoped for. We have a number of families struggling at the moment and I know that this will mean so much to them and make their Christmas a little brighter. Our thanks to Foodbank WA, Coles Beldon, Spud Shed and Bakers Delight for their donations.

Wishing you all a safe and happy festive season.  Looking forward to what 2021 will hold.

Take care, Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Sharon Lyon
Principal

Year 12 students had their final WACE exam on Thursday 19 November. Again our students sat their exams at Woodvale and Prendiville Colleges.  We took precautions to make sure students were familiar with the environment. Hal Spedding and myself took students to the exam venues.  There, they were given a tour of the school, shown the exam room, toilets and so on. We also had a Belridge staff member present at the start of each exam with spare equipment and identification forms. The whole exercise went very smoothly.  I now wish all our Year 12’s the best in their future endeavours.

Special exam arrangements for Year 12 in 2021

Students in Year 12, 2021 and their parents need to read this information carefully.

Candidates who have a permanent or temporary disability, illness and/or specific learning disability that could disadvantage them in demonstrating their knowledge, skills and understandings in standard assessments may apply to the School Curriculum and Standards Authority to sit WACE examinations under special arrangements.   Applications can be made for the written and/or practical examinations.  Applications must be made by the school.  The Authority will notify the school and candidate of the decision. 

The granting of special examination arrangements is not automatic, but takes into account medical and/or psychometric evidence plus supporting school-based information related to the candidate’s ability to access the examination.  The role of special examination arrangements is to provide reasonable access to an examination. Schools should ensure that they have placed on record all current medical/psychological documents that relate to their decision to trial special arrangements for the student. Each application is considered individually, with decisions based on the nature of each examination to be sat by the candidate.

There are five sections: 

N.B. Providing evidence for Sections D and E is the
responsibility of the student and parent.

Closing date for applications is 1 April 2021, but the process is long and complicated and needs to be started early in Term 1.  If you think your son or daughter is eligible please contact me at the school on 9408 8000.

Year 11

The Year 11 students have also completed their final exams and work placements.  On their final day, Monday 23 November, students returned to school to hand in their Workplace Learning logbooks and go through their exams with their teachers.  Also, students that were not up to date in their certificate courses were sent letters to return to school to catch up.

Years 10 and 11 OLNA

Students moving into Years 11 and 12 and who have not yet achieved OLNA should take some time over the break to prepare for the March round of OLNA. Students have been given access to OLNA help via Connect. Please contact Mr Notarpietro if you need assistance.

2021 Years 11 and 12
Arrangements for Period 5 Wednesdays

It is a timely reminder for the parents of all Year 11 and 12 students that Wednesday period 5 is an important period on the timetable and that students should not make arrangements to use the period for non-school activities, such as work. 

Year 12 ATAR students will be required every Wednesday Period 5, and all other Senior School students will need to attend where meetings and information-giving sessions are organised.   Also, students in Years 11 and 12 that do not meet deadlines for assessments, or are not up to date with their certificate courses, will be required to attend period 5 Wednesday until they complete this work.

Mr Strickland will contact parents of students behind in their courses and Mr Notarpietro will do the same for certificate students.  Failure to attend when required may result in loss of good standing.

Finally, I hope all Year 10 and 11 students have a good break and return refreshed for a great 2020.

Mobile Phone Use 

A reminder to all students that due to the new government regulations, students will not be permitted to use mobile phones at the school in 2021.  The rule is mobiles phones must be switched off and out of sight from the time students enter the school grounds, until they are released from class at the end of the day. Please discuss this again at home, so we don't start the school year with a spate of phone confiscations - thank you. 

… one Final Message

May I request that staff, parents and students be careful on the roads around the college.  Students need to be extra careful whilst crossing the road when using mobile phones and need to remember to look right, then left and then right again.  Students need to take extra care crossing the exit from the main school car park as they are obscured from the vision of drivers by a solid wall, and also when crossing Ocean Reef Road, where the speed limit is 70kph. The safest option is using the lights or crossing attendants.

Robert Strickland
Vice Principal - Senior School

Orientation Day

This term has been extremely busy, led by the transition of 170 Year 6 students. The term started with the half day transitions days with all our partner primary schools, culminating on Tuesday 8 December with just over 150 students spending the day familiarising themselves with their new school and the amazing staff of Belridge SC.

Students participated in a range of activities across the day from Home Economics to Design and Technology, forging new friendships, which can only further develop over the next six years.

Belridge SC prides itself in the programs we put together to support our transitioning students, including Peer Support. We had over 30 Year 9 Belridge SC students assist throughout the day in making our newest students feel comfortable and supported. The day was a huge success thanks to the efforts of Narae Howard (Year 7 Coordinator 2021) and Phil Leenman (School Chaplain) along with our staff who ran activities and acted as tour guides to our new families.

Semester 2 Reports

Middle School reports (Years 7-10) will be emailed to parents/caregivers on Tuesday 15 December. I encourage parents and students to discuss this together, celebrate the achievement of goals and set new goals for 2021.

School resumes for students on Monday 1 February and it is hoped that each student has a goal of 90%+ attendance, as attendance at school is clearly linked to school achievement. Please consider this when making holiday plans.  Belridge SC continues to make progress to improve student attendance and we thank our College community for supporting us with this.

I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday break and I look forward to seeing everyone back in 2021.

Mario Pisano
Vice Principal - Middle School 

Wow! What a crazy year, and where has it gone?!?!?!?

The team in Student Services has worked tirelessly to support students in often difficult and emotional situations around a multitude of issues, the least of which has been the impact of COVID. The team identified a need to communicate with students and families in a time where the traditional face-to-face was not an option. A Connect class was set-up and all students were included. This proved to be a very well utilised resource, including having nearly 200 visits in one day to access information, links and resources to support a multitude of potential difficulties. When students did return, the Student Services team were there to greet them, and then the work began in re-engaging our young people back at school. I am very thankful for the team I work with and am certain of the positive impact they have had with the support provided to our school community.

Planning Day

On Wednesday 9th December, various members of the Student Services team met to review the year that was and plan for 2021. It was a very productive day and authentic conversations about supporting students was at the forefront. I am extremely excited to see the discussions from the day put into practice for 2021.

Behaviour and Attendance

As always, our ‘big ticket items’ revolve around behaviour and attendance. With the year that was, the data on these two items could have looked any number of ways. It seems that whilst negative behaviours increased slightly from last year (especially towards the end of this term), the percentage of regularly attending students post-COVID return was a highlight. Students making effort to attend school more of the time, affords them the best chance at success going forward. Remember, the Education Department benchmark is students to be attending 90% or more of the time.

End of Term Reward Prize

We will have our final prize draw for the year at the end of this term. Historically, we have awarded one very deserving winner a large prize at the end of the term and previous winners have enjoyed iPads, bicycles, portable speakers and hundreds of dollars worth of entertainment vouchers for places like the movies and Adventure World. This year we thought that we would re-jig the prizes to be able to recognise one student from each year group and award them with a voucher that can be used at a variety of locations. Remember, the way to be in the draw is to be doing the right thing. Students receiving Student of the Month nominations, special awards, or have an attendance of 99% or 100% will all be placed in the draw for this term’s prize.

Old/Unwanted Uniforms

It is that time of year where Student Services asks for any unwanted or unused school clothing be donated.

If you have any items that you’d like to donate, BSC would be grateful to receive it.

The items of clothing may be brought to either the front office or the Student Services building.

Thank You

I’d like to take this time to thank all of the members of the Student Services Team for their dedication and support for students, their families and the wider community. The work that they do is invaluable. Through tireless effort and countless hours, they have managed some extremely tricky situations, and each and every time the successes have shone through and the students that required support are all the better for it.

A huge thank you goes to Brent Jarvis-Spinks for an absolutely herculean effort in getting the Year 12’s to where they are now. Through his work and dedication, the Year 12’s were able to still have their school ball, which was an absolute success. It was by far, the most upbeat, polite, respectful and inclusive group of young people in my recent memory and they certainly were a credit to themselves, their families and the school. Not only did Brent have to contend with a COVID affected school ball, but also navigating a new venue for the graduation ceremony. The work that went it to this (alongside the truly amazing Nicky Harris) was immense, but the end result was a resounding success and because of their work, this will continue into the future. Thank you for carrying these young people through their school lives. Their experiences with you will be cherished and will stand them in good stead for the future.

Pietro Papasergio stepped into the fray as the Head of Student Services (HoSS) for the Middle School for the second half of 2020 as Bridgid Lafferty was seconded to Leonora DHS as Acting Principal. He has become extremely adept at managing and supporting young people at BSC through his various stints in the Head of Student Services role. Pietro’s time in the HoSS seat has been greatly appreciated and we look forward to what the year holds for 2021 in this space. Bridgid Lafferty was missed by the school community and the Middle School students when she chose to take up a Principal’s job in the Goldfields. She has utilised much of what she had implemented or adapted to suit the Belridge context where she is now and has found some success. It is not clear at this stage whether Bridgid will return to BSC, but we wish her all the very best with whatever happens to her going into the future.

Finally, I’d like to thank the parents/caregivers that have had any involvement through Student Services, for their willingness to support their young person in their journey through school. The ability to communicate between home and school has been a highlight and we are grateful for all the support we have received. I wish the entire Belridge Secondary College community a safe and happy holiday break, and I look forward to working with you again in 2021.

Hal Spedding
Head of Student Services - Senior School

Hello from the Community Health Nurses

Hello families,

The Community Health nurses, allocated from the Child and Adolescent Health Service to Belridge Secondary College, are Deb Lawrence and Jo Savoury.

If you have a student at Belridge who has an ongoing medical concern, such as Anaphylaxis, Allergies, Asthma, Diabetes or any other diagnosis that may impact on their school life, please ensure that the school is informed and the necessary forms are completed every new school year to ensure that we are aware and can administer the appropriate treatment, if required. This is especially important where there has been a change to the care required.

The links to action plans for diabetes, asthma, allergies and anaphylaxis are below. If you have not done so already, please print the relevant action plan and complete it, with the assistance of your medical professional if appropriate, and provide the school with a copy.

Anaphylaxis:
https://allergy.org.au/hp/anaphylaxis/ascia-action-plan-for-anaphylaxis

Asthma:
https://asthma.org.au/wp-content/uploads/About_Asthma/Schools/AACPED2018-Care-Plan-for-Schools-A4_2019.pdf

Diabetes:
https://www.diabeteswa.com.au/professionals/training/diabetes-awareness-in-schools-2/diabetes-action-and-management-plans/

Have a wonderful summer break!

Deb and Jo

OLNA 2021
(Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment)

As most parents know, one of the requirements for achieving a WACE is qualifying in OLNA by achieving Category 3 in the Numeracy, Reading and Writing assessments. The following tables, outlining BSC results v Like Schools clearly show that we perform well above like schools by the time students reach Years 11 and 12.

One reason for this is the investment the college has made in purchasing licences for every student in Years 10-12 to access the www.OLNA.com.au Skill Builders, which provide a range of excellent sample assessment questions and instant feedback to students.

All Years 10-12 students needing to sit OLNA have been provided with a user name and password to access the site, and we encourage them to make use of these resources during the summer break, as OLNA 2021 starts early in March.

OLNA Current Student Standing

Year 12 Students - Qualified In

Year 10 Students - Qualified In

Year 11 Students - Qualified In

Data extracted from Department of Education

ABCN

Belridge Secondary College has been an ABCN (Australian Business & Community Network) partner school for a number of years.  ABCN works with corporate partners such as Chevron, Ernst & Young, Microsoft, Price Waterhouse Coopers and Wesfarmers to implement a range of programs designed to equip students with practical life skills needed to engage in employment options beyond school.

Readers of our newsletters will have previously seen descriptions of some ABCN programs we have conducted this year, and in this edition you will see an article from Chloe Ironmonger, HASS Teacher, describing the most recent Empower program which she recently co-ordinated.

During 2020, over 80 students in Years 9-10 enjoyed the opportunity to participate in one or more ABCN physical and virtual programs.  Because of COVID restrictions, most of the programs, which usually involve taking the students to the corporate headquarters of the ABCN partner, were moved onto Zoom meetings.  Students were surprised to see that many of their corporate mentors were working from home the majority of days, and using platforms such as Zoom to collaborate.

Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia - Speaking Out Survey

Associate Principal, Carlos Notarpietro and Head of Student Services, Middle School, Pietro Papasergio recently attended a lecture at Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, where Commissioner Colin Pettit presented the key findings from the 2019 Speaking Out Survey.

Early in 2021, Belridge SC students across Years 7-12 will be randomly selected and asked to participate in the 2021 Speaking Out Survey.

In the Commissioner's first Speaking Out Survey, 4,912 children and young people from all regions of WA shared their views on their health, safety, family and school life and how they see their place in our society.  Schools and their students from Year 4 to 12 were randomly selected to participate, ensuring a wide range of students from different areas could participate.

The Speaking Out Survey 2019 summary report was tabled in Parliament on 19 February 2020. The findings help to guide policy and programs that ensure the needs of children and young people are met.  

Amongst the key findings, the survey found most students rated their overall wellbeing positively, but there are concerns when it comes to mental health, perceptions of safety and feeling connected. The Commissioner is conducting an in-depth analysis of the data in these areas, so as a community we can improve the services and policies that support young people's wellbeing.

The key findings below, organised in line with the Commissioner’s Wellbeing Monitoring Framework are:

• Healthy and connected.
• Safe and supported; and
• Learning and participating.

These three interlinked domains are important because children and young people across WA have told the Commissioner that these things make a big difference to their lives and make them well and happy.

Those interested can download the full Speaking Out Survey 2019 - summary report or can find additional information at the Commissioner’s website 

https://www.ccyp.wa.gov.au/our-work/projects/speaking-out-survey/

Carlos Notarpietro
Associate Principal 

At the end of this term, we will bid farewell to one of our great Maths teachers.

It is sad to see Mrs Mary Marriott retiring after over 27 years of teaching in WA. Mrs Marriott started her teaching career when Paul Keating was our Prime Minister and the year that Essendon won the AFL Grand Final.

27 years ago, Mrs Marriott’s first teaching position was at Warwick Senior High School and since then she has taught around the state in many schools. She has not just been a great teacher, but has been a wonderful team player as well.

From the Mathematics learning area - we will all miss you and wish you all the very best on your retirement.

Kasun Tennakoon
Head of Learning Area, Mathematics

Surprise Visitor 

Year 8 student, Charlotte Vinson, had a day at school like no other, when the King of Spuds, the great Tony Galati, made a surprise visit to Belridge Secondary College!

Earlier in the year, Charlotte’s English class had participated in a school project which involved students making a speech about who should be the next Prime Minister of Australia.  Charlotte instantly chose Tony Galati as her inspiration as he was a successful entrepreneur, who was not afraid to take risks and who has worked quite literally from the ground upwards.  Charlotte then wrote to Mr Galiti to express her admiration, which then prompted a personal visit from the man himself.

Tony surprised Charlotte and told all students to ‘never give up on something they believe in – you will get there in the end through hard work and determination’.  Tony explained to students how his business came about and grew into the success it is today.  Thank you to Tony, George and team for your time and generosity in making Charlotte’s day. 

Focusing on Skills for the Future

7AE English students have been developing their communication, critical thinking and creative thinking skills this term. The World Economic Forum acknowledges these skills will be increasingly important in the STEM careers of the future.

Krishna Gujjar explains about the problem-based learning activity that students participated in his newspaper article, ‘Among Us Made’ below. 

The explicit communication skills that students focused on included disagreeing agreeably, equal voice and asking clarifying questions.

Casey Dalla-Costa (former Belridge and Academic Extension student) also visited the class to talk about the importance of communication and collaboration in STEM degrees at university. Casey currently studies Advanced Science at Curtin University and hopes to one day work for NASA. Students had the opportunity to ask questions about university life and advanced science subjects.

Alicia Holliday
English Teacher

Student Report
The Truth at Your Fingertips - Among Us Made

Over the past few weeks, a Year 7 class at Belridge Secondary College, located in Beldon, have been working hard to create an in real life version of the popular craze, Among Us.

The main motive was to teach the students about social and communication skills. Instead of the students picking their group the teacher picked the groups through a random generator. This was to see how well students could cooperate and work with people they do not normally talk to.

“The task was about communication and social skills, but in order to engage students, the challenge of making Among Us in real life was included.” said Mrs Holliday, an English teacher at Belridge Secondary College.

The first step students took was brainstorming their ideas. Students were given goals such as disagreeing with each other agreeably and extending on each other’s ideas.

“Well first up it was hard to negotiate ideas with the group, especially with different minds and ideas.” said Patrick Oulton, a student. This was just a taste at what challenges groups faced when creating their Among Us in real life. Oliver Luscombe, another student said “The biggest challenge my group faced was disagreeing agreeably since everyone had their own ideas.” This was a problem faced by many groups since some students in groups didn’t really get along with each other even before the groups were picked.

Additionally, exams were being held in the library, so that area was blocked off. Groups affected by this change panicked and had to change the location of their game.

Students then were to make a proposal, as if they were doing a job interview to see which groups game was best to play. Students were given a piece of paper and had to write about how other groups had made their game as they gave their proposal. Most groups had made a PowerPoint while others just gave a speech. In the end Group 2 had won all the votes and were chosen as the best game.

Image above shows a picture of the popular game Among Us

Krishna Gujjar
Year 7

Careers Expo Excursion

On Friday 24 October, a group of Year 10 and Year 11 students attended WA’s largest Careers and Employment event, at the Perth Convention Centre. The expo hosted over 80 organisations and employers, providing students with plenty of opportunities to seek advice and gather information. TAFE, the Australian Defence Force, the College of Electrical Training, Murdoch University and careers in aviation, hair and beauty, mining, media and the disability sector were represented to name a few. Overall, the event was beneficial and hopefully reaffirmed students’ recent subject choices for 2021, while also providing insight into their goals for future training and career pathways.

It was impressive to watch the number of students who were engaged and asking questions, not to mention their impeccable behaviour. A special shout-out goes to Taila Yates and Hayley Boswell-Hudson who volunteered with the WA Advanced Training Academy.  Also, thank you to Ms Edmonds for joining me in supervising the excursion.

Miss Clarke
English Teacher

Christmas Elves spotted in English!

Year 8, 9 and 10 students from Miss Clarke and Ms Baker's English classes have been busy helping Santa out, by assisting him to reply to the 'Letters to Santa' received from Year 2 students at Beldon Primary School.  Santa (and our student elves) were so impressed by the lovely manners and effort that the students put into their work and hope that they enjoy their replies as they make their way from the North Pole, where they have been sent for a touch of Christmas magic ...

English Learning Area 

Talented Youth Writers Workshop 2020

At the beginning of the year, students in Year 9 and Year 10 signed up for the Talented Youth Writers’ Workshops traditionally held at The Literature Centre in Fremantle one day per term for the year. After the turbulent interruptions to this program saw it moved from the heritage building to an online version held on site at Belridge SC, our students have thoroughly enjoyed working with Internationally acclaimed, award winning Australian Authors.

The most recent author, Anthony Eaton, shared some writing secrets which stimulated creative juices from our students. They further developed their writing skills through: Breaking the Rules, Asking Questions, Visiting Reality and Testing Characters. Our students produced very creative and entertaining pieces which may be entered into future writing competitions.

The Talented Youth Writers Workshops are available every year to students interested in reading and creative writing. Please contact Ms Bartle for further information for the 2021 series.

Glynne Bartle
AEP Coordinator 

Microsoft Learning Opportunity

On Wednesday 2 December, Microsoft inspired Belridge SC students to embrace their curiosity. Students learned from leading mentors how Microsoft "empowers every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more." Students explored Python through Minecraft education and Turtle. They witnessed how AI is teaching a pinball machine to "learn from its mistakes!" Future job pathways are changing allowing people to pivot. Just in time learning is upskilling staff in areas of need at Microsoft. An exciting world of opportunities lies in front of all our Belridge students.

Thank you ABCN, Microsoft and Nuevo Foundation.

Glynne Bartle
AEP Coordinator 

ESC Market Day

Over the years, the Design and Technology learning area has supported the Belridge Secondary Education Support Centre (BSESC) with its annual Market Day held in November. 

Each student from BSESC who participates in Design and Technology classes, designs and makes a wooden craft item which is then donated to the market day. 

The key fundamentals are to teach students various skills in the workshop, as well as build a strong community spirit between both schools and the outside community.

Lloyd Silva
Design & Technology Teacher

Two Schools, One Community

Throughout Term 3, Miss Jones’s Year 10 Family, Community & You class have been focussing on the theme of ‘community’ and how they could give back to Belridge. The class decided to create two gift baskets that were donated to the Education Support Centre and used to raise money for the school on their Market Day. Students have been making a variety of homemade items to use in baskets, such as: candles, soaps, draw fresheners, shower and bath products, chutneys, lemon curd, crackers and cookie mix in a jar.

Miss Jones and the class would like to thank all the staff that donated items that were used in the baskets.

Madeline Jones
Home Economics Teacher

Middle School Engagement Program 

Over Term 3 and into 4, four Year 10 students and three Year 8 students have been working alongside Mr Silva, Design & Technology teacher, and Phil the Chaplain on a project for the Eddystone Primary School, as part of the Middle School Engagement Program. Materials were purchased with funds raised through the annual Chaplain’s Dinner. This program focuses on skills such as teamwork, communication, planning, project management and teaching along with values such as respect, commitment, perseverance and diligence. As a result, the students were able to present their work to Eddystone Primary School at their whole school assembly. Well done lads on an excellent job!

ABCN EMPOWER Program

Through Belridge's connection to the Australian Business and Community Network (ABCN) Year 10 students had an opportunity to digitally meet and speak with young professionals from Ernst & Young.  Belridge students had a chance to discuss first jobs, first job fails, school subjects and their intentions after schooling with mentors along with learning about their career paths and goals of their mentors.

Thanks to ABCN for giving our students an opportunity to participate in the EMPOWER program.

Chloe Ironmonger
HASS Teacher

FIRST Lego League Competition
'Game Changers'

Earlier this year, a group of Year 7 students began working on the FIRST Lego League Challenge. This involved coding a Lego robot to complete missions on a game table, as well as a research project. The theme for this year was ‘Game Changers’ and involved looking at ways to get people more active.

The Krazy Koderz worked hard on coding their robot to complete as many missions as possible, including moving a bench and lifting up a basketball ring. They struggled at first, having to learn the coding program. They also developed a possible solution to get more people active with the idea of a microchip being placed in shoes, that can record steps and has a reward-based program.

All of this work led to being ready for competition day. On Saturday 28 November, the team competed against 23 other teams in the regional competition at St Stephen’s School, Carramar. On the day, the students had to present their project to a panel of judges and had three opportunities to score points in the robot challenge. It was a great day, where the team worked together, tweaking their coding in between the bouts and interacting with the other teams.

Although the robot didn’t always do what we hoped, the team learnt a lot from the experience and had a fantastic day. The students displayed the FIRST Core Values of discovery, inclusion, teamwork and fun throughout the competition. This was acknowledged by the judges, as the Team won 2^nd place in the Core Values category.

The team all had a great time and look forward to competing again in next year’s challenge.

‘Lego League was a fantastic experience.’ – Krishna

‘The fact that we won an award in our first year was amazing.
Lego League was so much fun.’ – Jaxon

Rebecca Edmonds
HASS Teacher and 
Lego League Coordinator

Lego Club

Lego Club has been running now every Wednesday at recess for the last term and has been hugely successful. The students have loved playing and creating with the enormous amount of Lego that has been kindly donated by many people and organisations. The students had a challenge over the last month whereby they had to create a functioning bridge, which had to be aesthetically pleasing and functioning. Students were only allowed to use one specific tub of Lego. The lucky winner Jake Wilson will receive a $5 voucher for the canteen and runner-up Neisha Warwick wins a $2 voucher also.

Audra Keeble 
Education Assistant

Economics - Risks and Rewards

Throughout Term 4, the Year 9 Students at BSC have developed an in-depth understanding on the investment opportunities that await them in the future as a key part of the Economics Curriculum. The main focus of our learnings has been the potential risk and reward associated with numerous investment types (real estate, shares, bank deposits, collectible items) so that students can make up their own mind on what could be most applicable to them.

Over the past five weeks, students have engaged in a practical experience trying their luck first-hand on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). Each student was given a set amount of theoretical dollars to invest in shares and develop their own unique investment portfolios. Students then checked in on their share prices each week to review their profits/losses. The project was a fantastic eye opener on the high risk, high reward nature of the stock market as students results varied significantly. In addition to this, students also received insight into what they should be looking for when it comes to investing their money into a company. Students were encouraged to research their shares prior to finalising their portfolio as they searched for potential upside within companies. An example of this was students buying shares in airline companies with news of the COVID vaccine announced days prior.

Within the Economics course, students have also learnt how to ensure they keep their finances safe through bank card safety and keeping an eye out for the threat of scams. Students investigated a range of different scams, and were given a clear set of strategies to avoid being scammed.

In the last three weeks of the term, as a continuation of the Economics Curriculum, the students will be investigating their strengths, weaknesses and what career pathways they will be most suited to, or interested in. Teachers will expose students to a wide range of career related information, and help students consider options in Senior School that will best suit their preferred career choices. This will enable them to set some goal for their achievement in Year 10, as it relates to suitable courses for Upper School. The Year 9 Economics Curriculum is a great stepping stone for students in life beyond school.

Simon MacDonald
HASS Teacher

We Did it! Editors Choice Award

At the start of last term, under the guidance of Mrs Lisa De Ponte, Literature Teacher, Belridge SC had two groups of students take part in the fundraiser for Kids' Cancer Project's Write-a-book-in-a-day challenge. There were over 1000 books written across Australia this year, with a couple of WA schools entering over 15 teams!

We are thrilled to announce that our Year 11 Team the FAB 5, were selected as an EDITOR'S CHOICE - a wonderful recognition of their skills as both writers and illustrators.

The online library of ALL the books produced this year is available at https://writeabookinaday.com/library/ if you are interested is seeing some of the amazing work that students across Australia produce.  The Kids' Cancer Project

Lisa De Ponte
Literature Teacher

Fab 5 Team
William Johnstone, Felix Longworth-Baker, Evide Innes,
Jazzmyne Gatt and Bonnie Kerslake

Thank you RAC!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Denis Svilicic and the RAC on behalf of the automotive students of Belridge Secondary College for providing us with two late vehicles to use as practical examples in the Automotive workshop classes.  It was late in Term 3 when Joel Bond, Design & Technology Teacher, put the word out to several insurance companies that Belridge was on the look-out for a vehicle to use in our workshop for educational purposes.  Denis from the RAC was the only company to reply and following a site visit he felt inspired enough to provide our students with not one, but two fully functioning late model vehicles!

Students can now participate in authentic learning experiences and hone their skills on modern vehicle components.   We really appreciate the opportunities that Denis and the RAC have provided, which will be put to good use for years to come. 

Joel Bond
Design & Technology Teacher

Poppy Appeal 

Year 8 Cricket Camp 

At the end of November, the Year 8 cricket students embarked on the annual 4-day camp that took place in Narrogin. Belridge SC was joined by Butler College, Kent Street Senior High School and Narrogin Senior High School.

The camp is a terrific opportunity for students to develop their skills and challenge themselves in a competitive, game environment. Belridge students played Narrogin on the first day and defeated them by chasing down a solid total of 185 runs in 35 overs.

The second day we were matched up against Butler College and played at Narrogin Senior High School. The students again displayed great competiveness throughout the day and all had a fun day.

The final day was a T20 match against Kent Street with Belridge having a big win against our old rivals in the last game of camp.

Thank you to Scott Ogilvie and Janneke Markovic for helping out and providing support throughout the camp.

Brent Jarvis-Spinks
Health & Physical Education Teacher

Cricket Annual Awards 

On Friday the 11th of December we held our annual cricket presentation night.  This year, to go in hand with our ongoing successful reputation, a night of glitz and glamour was laid on for our deserving students and families and held at the Home of Cricket, the WACA!

What a fabulous night it turned out to be.  Students honoured the occasion by dressing smart and sporting their school tops with the venue providing the perfect backdrop to hold our 'new style' awards night. Over 250 parents and students attended the evening, along with guest speakers from our WACA representative Mrs Fiona Cummings (Participation and Diversity Manager) as well as Warriors and Fury Players Sam Fanning, Amy Edgar and Sheldyn Cooper. Our Principal, Mrs Sharon Lyon, opened the evening with a fantastic speech singing the praises of all, but in particular to the parents and our community. Raffle prizes were won and it wasn’t just award winners that walked away with something.

We look forward to continuing this new tradition and making it even better in 2021. 

Thank you to all involved for making it such a special eveming. 

Scott Ogilvie and Brent-Jarvis Spinks
Cricket Coordinators
Specialist Cricket Program 

Year 9 Netball Camp

On Monday 16 November the Year 9 Netball Academy girls embarked on the first Netball Academy Camp.  First stop was Ashdale Secondary College where we played two netball games. Both teams started strong with Team One winning by 18 points.  Sinead Harvey took multiple intercepts receiving MVP for the game. Team Two won by 3 points with Danica Rewell coming back from a long term injury to take out MVP.

We then headed to Volleyball WA for a volleyball clinic. The girls felt like they were in a sauna, as 22 degrees felt like 50 degrees to them on the hot sand as they battled it out for a win against each other.

We then travelled to Woodman Point Recreational Camp. We unpacked and settled into our dorms quickly. The girls did an amazing job cooking dinner of a BBQ and salad. The girls then reviewed their matches from the day and wrote in their camp diaries. We ended the night with a stroll through the campground and down to the beach to see the lights from Rottnest and the Fremantle port.

Tuesday morning, we woke to celebrate Danica’s birthday with a surprise visit from her family. The girls stayed on a high as we learnt to surf with Doug from ‘Gone Surfin’ down in Secret Harbour. Maya Scott and Kate Tobin were stand outs on the day, with Maya even surfing Raiin Lowenhoff at one point!

We headed to Rockingham foreshore and enjoyed our packed lunches that the girls made in the morning, before heading to Rockingham Montessori School where our girls taught them some Netball skills.  We ran a small clinic before mixing the teams up and playing some mixed netball.  Everyone was having so much fun that after the afternoon tea the school had kindly laid on, both schools got together and played basketball.

The girls cooked pasta with garlic bread for dinner this night, with Elli Van de Broeke and Jaz Poole being Head Chefs in the kitchen.  We celebrated Danica’s birthday with birthday cake and a very quick game of spotlight (the mozzies won).

On the final day, we packed our bags and lunches and headed to Woodman Point for the morning, before our final two netball games. The first game of the day was at Atwell College against the Netball Specialist girls.  Atwell came out strong being on top at the first quarter break.  The Belridge girls pulled it back and came home strong to win both games. Team One had some amazing defence with Myllie Semler, Sinead Harvey and Tyra Smith to end up winning by a convincing 15. Team Two’s defence also picked up their game with Maya Scott, Tisha Ansell and Danica Rewell dominating and allowing them to take the win by 1 point.

The final game of the day was against Harrisdale. Harrisdale had some serious size and both games were extremely close going into the final quarters. Team One were able to capitalise on some late turnovers with Raiin Lowenhoff and Elli Van de Broeke dominating in the attack to win by 2.  Team Two unfortunately went down by 3, as the fatigue from the camp had caught up with them!

Overall it was an amazing camp with many highlights that the girls will remember for years to come. The girls were a wonderful representation of the quality students and netballers we have at Belridge Secondary College. It was a privilege to take this group of girls away.

Janneke Markovic
Netball Coordinator

Netball - Belridge Cup 

This year’s annual Belridge Cup was held over the 10th December and 11th December. The Netball Academy students did an amazing job and battled through the sweltering heat over those two days. Despite the heat, we had some very close competitive games, with the first few games only being decided by one point. 7 blue came out strong and showed the older teams just how good they were with some convincing wins early on. At the end of the first day, 10 Blue were sitting on top of the leaderboard, and we had three teams (9 Blue, 11/12 Blue and 10 Red) in a tie for second place.

The second day started and again games were very close, with some great skills and sportsmanship being shown.

The grand final was a nail-biter, with 10 Blue and 11/12 Blue not able to be separated at the final whistle. This meant the game went into overtime with a team needing to be two goals up in order to win.

The 11/12 Blue team initially through some great defense turned over a few balls early but couldn’t convert from these due to the great defensive pressure being applied by 10 Blue. 10 Blue eventually broke away and scored two goals in a row to take out the Belridge Cup for the third year in a row.

At the conclusion each year of Belridge Cup a Most Valuable Player (MVP) and a Best Team Player (BTP) is awarded to each year group based on their performances over the two days and throughout the year within the Netball Academy.  Congratulations to the winners for 2020 who are listed below:

Belridge Cup Final Placings 2020

Janneke Markovic and Nicole Mann
Health and Physical Education Teachers

School Sport WA Year 10
3x3 Basketball Competition

3 on 3 basketball's inclusion in the 2021 Olympics has seen a huge surge in popularity this year. Unfortunately due to COVID restrictions, SSWA were only able to run one year group's competition in 2020. Two year 10 teams represented Belridge at the carnival held at Bendat State Basketball Centre on Wednesday the 18th of November. With teams limited to only 4 players, and both teams playing 7 games over the day, our students performed tremendously under very trying conditions against some very tough schools.

The boys performed really well against some tough competition, but fell just short in a few games. We won our first game by one point after Nathan sank a crucial free throw after the buzzer which got the boys up and about. Unfortunately we would then go on to lose 3 games by only one point against Kiara, Clarkson and Carine. Our run of bad luck continued against a dominant Swan Christian College who were the team to beat in our division. Finally we faced Dianella in our last game of the day. The boys saved the best performance for last as Conor started dishing dimes Lebron James would've been proud of, Charlie found his range and started sinking his jump shot and Kyle was rebounding like a young Dennis Rodman. Nathan proved to be the difference, however, as he took over the game with a dominant performance, driving and finishing at will. The boys ended the carnival with a win/loss record of 2 and 5, which could've easily been reversed had a bit of luck gone our way. Well done to the boys for performing fantastically on a pretty tough and tiring day.

Unlike the boys, our girls team were placed in the same division as Perth's basketball specialist schools. Initially I was worried the girls might be a little intimidated by this, but all worries were put to rest after our first game and a dominant win. Second came one of our biggest challenges, the basketball specialists John Septimus Roe. Seemingly unphased, the girls dominated both sides of the ball putting up a big score and keeping JSR to their lowest score of the day. Games against Applecross and Australian Islamic College highlighted just how dominant the girls were throughout the day. Niamh's passing was outstanding, finding open team mates at will. Paige's off-ball movement and mid-range shooting were very impressive while Arwen's cuts and lay ups were great to watch. Teagan's shooting and defence were dominant all day, and she was close to, if not the top scorer for the carnival. The girls had an obvious synergy having played so much netball together. Our only loss of the day was against basketball powerhouse Woodvale Secondary College. Finishing with an impressive record of 6 and 1, our girls took out 2nd place overall in the Girl's A Division. A huge achievement considering this format of the game was fairly new for all involved. Congratulations girls on a terrific performance.

Special mention to Dylan McLachlan and Alina Moore for organising and scoring for their teams on the day. It was very much appreciated on such short notice.

Mr Timu
Health & Physical Education Teacher

Boys Team: Nathan Jones, Kyle Pearce, Conor Stocker and Charlie Young
Girls Team: Arwen Deans, Niamh Gallagher, Paige Mortimer and Teagan Sawatzky

Aimee Wright (Year 10) has recently released her new song "Sometimes" - Listen here!

On the 8th of December, Belridge Secondary College welcomed the 2021 Year 7 students along with their parents to the College for the annual Orientation Day. The purpose of the day was to familiarise the future Belridge students and parents with the administration staff, facilities, layout and routines of Belridge Secondary College.  Students were treated to a performance from the talented Belridge music and dance students before being placed into groups, led by our special Year 9 peer support leaders and given a full day’s timetable. The timetable allowed students to partake in a variety of subjects, including:

• Art - where students created gum leaf inspired pieces
• Design and Technology - where students created pencil holders
• Information Technology - where students experienced 3D printing
• Science – where students took part in a flame test and colouring changing solution experiment
• Home Economics – where students made pancakes; and
• Physical Education – where students played badminton and went bouldering on the Colleges rock climbing wall.

Parents were offered a one-hour tour of the school that was run by different members of staff from the Belridge Community. The day was a huge success and Belridge Secondary College looks forward to welcoming all the visiting students back next year.

Narae Howard
Year 7 Coordinator, 2021

Joondalup Learning Community
Student Leadership Day

Small actions x lots of people = big change!

On Friday 20 November, Belridge hosted the Joondalup Learning Community Student Leadership Day which brought together 35 students from the Joondalup Learning Community for brainstorming and action on how we can make a change in our local community. Students commenced a letter writing campaign to get the ball rolling on how they would start putting their ideas into action. Thanks to Ms Emily Hamiliton Member MLA for Joondalup for opening the day and sharing her experiences with students about how letters help her make a change as a parliamentarian.

Thanks to Beldon PS, Belridge ESC, Belridge SC, Currambine PS, Craigie Heights PS, Eddystone PS, Edgewater PS, Heathridge PS, Joondalup PS, Joondalup ESC and Springfield PS for participating in the day.

Chloe Ironmonger
Executive Officer
Joondalup Learning Community Network 

We have been blown away by the generosity of staff, students and parents with donations towards our Christmas hamper appeal this year.   This couldn't have come together without the community spirit shown of all involved.  Our original target was to make 10 hampers, but this doubled to 20!

A few special mentions must go to Phil the Chaplain, Chloe Ironmonger and the student councillors in putting together our hampers.  A huge thank you also to our local organisations for their valued donations and agreeing to jump on board to assist in making this project possible:

Baker's Delight, Beldon
Coles, Beldon
Spudshed
Foodbank

All in all, this has resulted in helping make Christmas a little brighter for our local families.  Thank you everyone - you are amazing!

Congratulations to Stacey Brown (Year 12) on winning the Year Book 2020 Cover Design competition.  Stacey was presented with a gift card on graduation night in recognition of her achievement. 

If you have not already ordered a Year Book, copies are available from the front office. Cost of $15.  Hurry and collect the 2020 edition now to avoid disappointment!

International Day of Disability

The International Day of Disability was recognised on Thursday 3 December.  This day aims to increase public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with a disability and celebrate their achievements and contributions.  Thank you to our accepting and inclusive staff at Belridge who go above and beyond for our students with diverse needs. Students with a disability are celebrated in our school community and you all play an important role in ensuring successful outcomes for students.

Mikaela Shirley
Inclusive Education Coordinator
English Teacher

Mikaela Shirley, Vicki Stasinowsky and Bibi Kent 

Year 7, 2021
Everything you need to know!

Wednesday 3 February 2021 - For parents of Year 7 students new to the school in 2021, this evening presented by Narae Howard will provide you with essential information on everything you need to know.  BOOK HERE

BYOD Parent Induction Evening

For parents of Year 7 students commencing in 2021 – we will be holding a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) parent induction evening on Tuesday 9 February from 6:00pm to 7:30pm in the school library.   It is important to note that this event is only for parents who have purchased their device through our preferred supplier CDM ONLY. 

Please note

• Event is for 1 person from each family due to limit on space.
• Remember to bring your child’s device fully charged!
• Bring along your child’s username and password. This will be available once students’ inductions have taken place.
• Attendance is limited to 75 places – register HERE now to avoid disappointment.

Year 7 Elevate Education Education 

Tuesday 16 February
Book HERE
Invitations to follow

Year 7 Welcome BBQ

Wednesday 3 March
5.00pm-6.30pm
Invitations to follow

Year 11 Elevate Education 

Tuesday 23 February
Invitations to follow

E-Smart Learning - Parent Information Evening

Tuesday 9 March 2021

For parents of news students commencing in 2021, we will be holding an ‘E-Smart Learning’ session for parents in the Auditorium on Tuesday 9 March from 6:00pm to 7:00pm.  This will be an introduction outlining the ICT support resources available at our school and how parents can use these to maximise their child’s education.

Register your attendance HERE
Invitation to follow

Please Note:

• This event is parents only.
• There is no need to bring your device.

If you have a child commencing at Belridge SC next year - use the Get on Board website to plan and prepare for travelling on public transport.

Visit www.getonboard.transperth.wa.gov.au to find out more

Note: Transport and School Bus Services are updated two weeks before the start of the new academic term.

Please check to see if any changes may affect your child's journey